Bacon hanger



l.. w. BERMOND BACON HANGER Filed oct. 3o, 1924 Feb. 9, 1926.

Patented F eb. 9, 1926s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER W. BERMOND, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO SWIFT & COMPANY, 0

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BACON HANGER.

Application led October 30, 1924. Serial No. 746,887.

To all whom imag concern.'

Be it known that I, LESTER W. BnuMoNn a `citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invente'd a new and useful Improvement in Bacon Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bacon hangers,

1 used for supporting sides of bacon while being subjected to the smoking operation. The customary device for serving this purpose is a pronged support, the side of bacon Vbeing forced onto the prongs so that the latter penetrate the bacon along the flank edge. This piercing of the sides of bacon results in unnecessary waste which it is the purpose of the present invention to avoid. The waste is due to the necessity of rejecting the pierced portion of the bacon when it is sliced, and amounts to from three to six per cent of the sliced bacon. IVhile the pierced portion of the bacon is, of course, fit for consumption, it is desired-to have the highest grade product uniform and, therefore, the pierced slices cannot be marketed with the more uniform product.

The object of the invention is accomplished by means of a construction as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the improved bacon hanger.

Fig. 2 shows the device in transverse sectional elevation, being a section along the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional 'detail taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

In order toeffect the purpose of the invention, use is made of a pair of coacting serrated jaws, these jaws being arranged to slidably coact with one another in the grip ping and releasing motions thereof. Each jaw is supported by a resilient wire arm, which arms are pivotally connected near their upper ends and one of which terminates with a bent hook by which the hangers may be supported on ksuitable conveyers. Piv- Otally connected to one of said arms and embracing both is an operating lever which7 by coactlng with a curved corrugated surface of one of the arms serves to resiliently force it toward the remaining arm and theremore tightly than would be the case if both f jaws were to lie in substantially the same horizontal plane. The serrations or teeth on the jaws are, for the same purpose, bcvelled toward their points along their lower edges.

The preferred construction as shown in the 'drawing comprises a pair of jaws l and 2, formed of strips of metal, the ends 3 of jaw l being bent inwardly to form a right angle with the serrated portion of the jaw between the bent ends. These ends 3 are slotted at 4 as shown in Fig. 2 for receiving the notched-out ends 5 of the aw 2. By this arrangement the jaw 2 is maintained in j transverse alinement with the aw 1, but the loose connection afforded at slots 4 permit one end of jaw 2 to move into a position which is closer or farther away from the jaw l at one end than at the opposite end.

In this manner the device may compensate for variation in the thickness in a side of bacon from side to side thereof.

The supports 6 and 7 respectively for the This member is also preferably formed from wire suitably bent to embrace the arms 6 and 7 and twisted into a handle 12 at its free end. The arms 6 and 7 are bowed outwardly as indicated in Fig. 2 so that the jaws may be resiliently forced toward each other by a downward movement, of, the clamping member 1l around its pivot` lO. The arm 7 is bent back and forth. slightly-to forinthe coi-rugations 13 between -which fthe-f member 1l maybeA seatedrwhen tliejawsl; and 2 engage the side of bacon with the desired pressure. The teeth lt on jaws-1-4 and@ 2 are in separate groups as shown in Fig.l 1 and portions of the jaws-are cutaway atl l5: between the sets'of teeth iii orderto provide space within which Athe bacon may be crowde'dat the time'of applyingv the deviceto a side ofbacon. It is custoinaryat such ktimes to crowd the somewhat; wider and thicker sideoffthebaconby means of `asepaiate appliance, notshow-n, in orderto-'lr'eep the side` of l"bacon, as-much as possible,l in asubstantiallyl rect; n-gular 'fornr and compensate. for a dierence in )shrinkage between theV hea-vier aiidligliter ends of 4the bacon 4duringfthe smoking operation. Y

As shownin Fig.: 2, the jaws l an`d`2 incline upwardly toward eachother from a horizontal plane to causethe bacon to be held firmly. grippedfas a= result of lits own weight-l bearil ng-v down on i the serrated? aws.

Als'o forf the purpose ofy more firmly gripping-the bacon :and only, at the most, making minute perforatioiis therein, the teeth lll are.Y bevelled on their innersurface asY indicatedat 1G iii-Fig.` The jaws-may, as in'dicatedbydotted lines-2in Fig. l, iiicline toward `each-otheratone end ina hoi-izontal pl-aiiel iii order to compensate for variation in the thickness lof the bacon in this direction. j y

Iii-the operation of the device, it is vapplied-,to one endof the side of bacon, or the bacon is inserted between :the jaws, while the latter is-heldinore or lesscompressed'in a desired rectangular form by separate means. Vlierione endofthe -side of-'bacon isr properly locatedbetween jaws land 2, itl is merely-necessary to rockt-lie clamp 11 downwardly aroundits-pivotto cause-the arms 6 and'7 and jawscarried therebyvto beresiliently forced toward each other.V The clamping member llis located iii-the kdesiredposition by being seated at the corrugationsl in thearni 7 while the ja-wsl andY 2 areuniformly urged toward each otherfthroughout their.: entire lengths, one jaw inclining more or less towardl the other,- due to the resistance encountered fand thereby compensating for the lateral variation in thel thickness-ofthe side offb'acoii.

VVhile one preferred embodiment,l of the inventionI is hereinv illustrated,l the device:

might be modied in some respects without departing from the principal features of the invention upon which the claims are I rigid aws, the opposed edge-f' of said Vj aws-v beifi'igf-y serrated, a'resijlient-suppvort forA eacli jaw, saidsuppoi'tsbeingjsecured at the endstotheir respective jaws-andlpivota-lly con-Y nected together-at a pointi removed' from said jaws, 'one Aof said *.supportsbeing bowed' a-wayfro-inthel remaining support, a-nd'aclamping member adapted by coactingwithsaid supports-to l drawy one `support toward the other, one ofsaid supports'bei-ngcorru-L gated'or bent to form a plurality ofseats forsaid clamping member;

3. A bacon hanger comprisingj a pair` of! rigidjaws, the opposededgeof said jaws being serrated; the serraitionsl onsaid j aws being arranged in separate groups, said jaws being partlycut away between-the groups-of' serrations, ai'esilient support for each jaw, said. supports being-f secured at the endsto their respective] aws-and pivotally connected together at'. a point removed from said jaws;

one ofIsa-idsupports beingb'owed away from the remaining support, and faclampmg inem-- bei'J adapted by coacting with` saidsupportstoA drawI one isiipport toward lthe other.

4. A= bacon hangen comprising-a1 pairi of rigid jaws, the opposedV edge off said jaws beingserrated; said-j aws-bei-nfg inclined 1-with respect toA af vertical plane ypassing=between= the saine, a; resilientf .supporti yfor eachA j aw, said supports beingA securediat the ends'zto their respective jaws and pivotallyconnected together at:y a. pointfremove d from said aws, one of "said .s apports :being S bowed .fa-way vfrom the remaining support, anda.clamping-niember.I adapted by vcoactiiig f with said supports to draw one support toward .the other:

5. A: bacon hanger.- comprising a-pair. of

rigid jaws, the-opposededge of' saidjaws beingserrated, a resilientsupport for: each" jaw, said supportsbeing secured at the ends to their respective jaws andzpivota-lly connected. togethery at: a: point'. removedi from said jaws, one of said'fsupports being bowed awayE froini `the remaining: support, and* a cl anipiiig. member.: adapted by co acting f with said supports :tos drawi Vone supporti'. toward theeotherr one-ofi said j a-.ws having' its vends`- bent into ooaoting relation with the yends of the remaining jaw to provide a sliding connection between said jaws.

6. A bacon hanger comprising a pair of rigid jaws, the opposed edges of said jaws being serrated, each of said jaws having a support rigidly secured thereto, said supports being pivoted together at their outer ends and being bowed away from each other,

one of said supports being corrugated or l0 bent to forma plurality of seats, and a clamping member embracing the corrugated support and having a hinged connection with the remaining support.

Signed at St. Joseph, Missouri, this 25th`15 day of October 1924.

LESTER W. BERMOND. 

